Fanboy has never had it good, but lately his sophomore year is turning out to be its own special hell. The bullies have made him their favorite ... read full description
reviews
Mar 01, 2008
Kim
rated it: 
I really had no idea what this book would be about. I had been hearing good things about Barry Lyga's other book, 'Boy Toy' and when I was at the library, this stood out as well. When I find an author that I like, I tend, like most people, to want to read everything by them, so, I grabbed it in the hopes that I liked his writing enough to want more... and I'm glad that I did.
That being said, The AAOFBAGG is truly well written, I don't know what I expected because I never read the b More...
That being said, The AAOFBAGG is truly well written, I don't know what I expected because I never read the b More...
6 comments
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(10 people liked it)
Sep 13, 2010
Ariel
rated it: 
Before I start, I want to thank Ace (The Godfather of GR-TFG) for the book.
Who would not pick this book up from a rack? Great cover, a very clever title and not only that, as what Newsday said, what a find. I know some of you might say, what’s the diff, pretty sure that it’s another geek story novel but I tell you, it’s on how it was told. Barry Lyga makes me remember the fanboy in me. References to the comic gods like Brian Michael Bendis (House of M, Powers, Jinx), Neil Gaiman (San More...
Who would not pick this book up from a rack? Great cover, a very clever title and not only that, as what Newsday said, what a find. I know some of you might say, what’s the diff, pretty sure that it’s another geek story novel but I tell you, it’s on how it was told. Barry Lyga makes me remember the fanboy in me. References to the comic gods like Brian Michael Bendis (House of M, Powers, Jinx), Neil Gaiman (San More...
15 comments
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Jan 08, 2010
Annalisa
rated it:
A novel for all the underdogs out there. I'm giving this book four stars for the voice. Lyga captures that tortured, conflicted, awkward stage in life with Fanboy, a nerdy boy who's smarter than everyone else, a little picked on for his size and goody two-shoes, and completely clueless about girls. So authentic 15-year-old boy it hurts. Obsessed with his graphic novel and focused on getting good grades as his way out, Fanboy's view of life changes when he meets Goth Girl, an emo chick who questi
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4 comments
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(6 people liked it)
Oct 14, 2008
Susan
rated it:
Lyga captures awkward misery better than just about anyone (save John Green or Sherman Alexie, maybe--and it would be close). The Fanboy of the title is a true comic book geek: a comic con attending, aspiring graphic novelist, and friend of superheroes. His life is not easy to say the least. He gets outrageously bullied on a regular basis. His best friend Cal, a jock with a closet case of comic fanaticism himself, turns his friendship on and off at school depending on which of his popular crowd
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(2 people liked it)
Aug 26, 2008
Tim
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jun 26, 2011
Lloyd
rated it:
Being a former fanboy of comics myself, perhaps that's why I would always note this book every time I walked by it. Well, I finally decided to read it and am glad that I did. I REALLY enjoyed this book. It's one of those books that, now that it is over, I'm sad. I want to keep reading more, to know what happens to these characters. (Luckily, I found out he wrote a sequel of sorts that just came out - so I CAN...I hope.)
I related SO much to the main character of this book (with the ex More...
I related SO much to the main character of this book (with the ex More...
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Sep 28, 2011
Cassie
rated it: 
I'm in the middle of the third disc of the audio book and cannot finish it. This book is doing very little for me. It's not that that the story is unrealistic or unbelievable, it's just uninteresting.
Donnie (Fanboy), lover of comic books, is a complete nerd. He has one pseudo-friend, Cal, who is a jock. He discusses his favorite comic book writers, fantasizes about panties and boobs, and is writing his own comic book. Then enters Kyra (Goth Girl) to make life a little more int More...
Donnie (Fanboy), lover of comic books, is a complete nerd. He has one pseudo-friend, Cal, who is a jock. He discusses his favorite comic book writers, fantasizes about panties and boobs, and is writing his own comic book. Then enters Kyra (Goth Girl) to make life a little more int More...
3 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Feb 17, 2009
Ryan
rated it: 
The title of this drew me in and the story was fairly good. Fanboy lives with his mom and step-dad in a crappy town like every other crappy town in suburbia. He's tormented by the kids at school, his only friend pretends he doesn't know him at school to keep in with the jocks, and only two things keep him sane: working on his graphic novel and carrying around a bullet as a safety blanket. Lyga does a good job witht he inner thoughts of Fanboy--a fifteen year old geek, horny but lonely, who
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Oct 06, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
This book was pretty good. I am not into comic books but I imagine teens will love the plot of his graphic novel. I think the personalities of the main 2 characters were well developed and I couldn't help but root for him, the underdog, in many of his escapades.
This is the story a a 15 year old geek who doesn't fit in at high school. He is picked on, shoved around, and basically ignored except when a teacher needs an answer to a difficult question in class. He keeps a bullet i More...
This is the story a a 15 year old geek who doesn't fit in at high school. He is picked on, shoved around, and basically ignored except when a teacher needs an answer to a difficult question in class. He keeps a bullet i More...
Sep 16, 2011
Ruby
rated it:
PERSONAL REACTION: Overall, the story is good and worthwhile, although it took me a while to get to the point of feeling that way about this book. The horrible, terrible, very bad days that Fanboy had every day got to be somewhat tedious for me too. When Goth Girl befriends him, I was grateful for her intervention. Their relationship seemed true and real and was the best thing about the novel, although they didn’t seem to have many adventures of any kind, especially not “astonishing” ones. Howev
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Sep 12, 2011
Christetta
rated it:
SUMMARY:
Fifteen-year-old Fanboy is a sophomore at South Brook School and is a loner except for his one friend, athlete Cal, but even Cal’s commitment as a friend is questionable. Oppressed Fanboy puts classmates’ names on “The List” and finds comfort in a bullet he carries in his pocket. When Fanboy isn’t at school he buries himself in computers, comic books, and creating his own graphic novel, Schemata. He retreats to a basement bedroom hoping to avoid his pregnant mother and his step More...
Fifteen-year-old Fanboy is a sophomore at South Brook School and is a loner except for his one friend, athlete Cal, but even Cal’s commitment as a friend is questionable. Oppressed Fanboy puts classmates’ names on “The List” and finds comfort in a bullet he carries in his pocket. When Fanboy isn’t at school he buries himself in computers, comic books, and creating his own graphic novel, Schemata. He retreats to a basement bedroom hoping to avoid his pregnant mother and his step More...
Sep 08, 2011
Lori
rated it: 
Summary:
Fanboy is a high achieving academic student who tries to be invisible from all of the bullies, cliques, and jocks in school. It seems as if he adds more people to The List that have pissed him off in someway. He is a sophomore who figures he can make it at home and school for a few more years.
Fanboy lives with his pregnant mom and step-father better known as "step-fascist." He resents his mom for leaving his dad for "step-fascist."
Fanboy ha More...
Fanboy is a high achieving academic student who tries to be invisible from all of the bullies, cliques, and jocks in school. It seems as if he adds more people to The List that have pissed him off in someway. He is a sophomore who figures he can make it at home and school for a few more years.
Fanboy lives with his pregnant mom and step-father better known as "step-fascist." He resents his mom for leaving his dad for "step-fascist."
Fanboy ha More...
Jul 07, 2011
Eileen
rated it:
My experience with my students is that even the ones who say they hate reading, are happy to read a graphic novel. Enter “Fanboy,” so-named because he is a tremendous fan of graphic novels and all things comic book. He is so much in love with the genre, in fact, that he is constantly at work creating his own graphic novel, Schemata.
I’m glad Fanboy has a hobby because he doesn’t have a life. “I’m a computer geek, a comic book geek, a study geek,” he says of himself. High school is, More...
I’m glad Fanboy has a hobby because he doesn’t have a life. “I’m a computer geek, a comic book geek, a study geek,” he says of himself. High school is, More...
Jun 15, 2011
Tim
rated it:
Downloaded the audio book from the library. An interesting story that sometimes seemed to go on for a little too long but overall was enjoyable. I'm guessing this is considered YA fiction. I'm trying to listen to and read as much YA as possible to get a feel for the genre and the different types of YA fiction. I would compare this with Fat Kid Saves The World as far as the subject matter goes. Outcast nerdy kid has few if any friends and meets dangerous friend who pushes him out of his comfort z
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May 26, 2011
Paul
rated it:
This story worked well as a character driven story that is told from the point of view of someone who wouldn’t normally propel a story. This unlikely hero is Donnie, aka Fanboy, a quiet, intelligent kid who spends his time reading comics, working on his own graphic novel, and finding ways to avoid bullies at school. His one, and only, friend is Cal, a sports jock who shares a common interest in comic books. Certain events lead him to meet Kyra, aka Goth Girl, who shows interest in him after he t
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May 10, 2011
Rhiannon
rated it:
Surprise book love affairs are the best! You know those books you get randomly lent, or just stumble into and don't know what to expect, only to open the pages and find yourself being swept away?
A few weeks ago I got a copy of Goth Girl Rising (book two) randomly in the mail from the lovely folks at Harcourt Mifflin. I'd never noticed it in a book store before, and the blurb on the back was a bit cryptic for someone jumping into the story line without ever hearing of, or reading boo More...
A few weeks ago I got a copy of Goth Girl Rising (book two) randomly in the mail from the lovely folks at Harcourt Mifflin. I'd never noticed it in a book store before, and the blurb on the back was a bit cryptic for someone jumping into the story line without ever hearing of, or reading boo More...
Feb 04, 2011
Mack
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Feb 04, 2011
Love YA Lit
rated it:
Nora's Review: I know this book is kind of old (well, like five years old or something), but I kept hearing so much about it that I felt the need to pick it up. The title is great, and seems to promise some romance etc…and I naively thought it would be something along the lines of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. It is not.
Not that it isn’t a great book – it is. I think it really captures the voice of an alienated and bullied adolescent who is also trying to be a good person an More...
Not that it isn’t a great book – it is. I think it really captures the voice of an alienated and bullied adolescent who is also trying to be a good person an More...
Dec 30, 2010
Karissa
rated it:
I have been wanting to read this book for a while. When I got "Goth Girl Rising" through the Amazon Vine program; I decided that that was the perfect excuse to go ahead and buy this book. It was a very good book. I enjoyed it and had trouble putting it down.
Fanboy is having a rough year. His mom is pregnant with his step-dad's kid, his step-dad doesn't understand him, he only has one friend, and everyone at school picks on him. There is one thing that he lives for and that is More...
Fanboy is having a rough year. His mom is pregnant with his step-dad's kid, his step-dad doesn't understand him, he only has one friend, and everyone at school picks on him. There is one thing that he lives for and that is More...
Dec 18, 2010
Kyra
rated it:
In my opinion this book was fantastic. It's a very real story mostly about a boy named Donnie. He's a misunderstood comic book writer with divorced parents. He lives with his mother and step father named Tony, that he calls step-fascist. His only friend is a lacrosse player named Cal, who is often blowing off Donnie for his fellow jock friends. One day in gym class a girl named Kyra sees Donnie getting beaten up and takes pictures, which she sends to Donnie to prove someone is seeing whats going
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Jul 15, 2010
I recently listened to Barry Lyga’s debut novel and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s not what I typically read nor listen to, but I admit I looked forward to time in the car so I could listen to the book. Scott Brick is a great narrator and his voice was great for the teen protagonist.
Fanboy is a self-proclaimed geek who escapes the cruelties of the world by writing and illustrating Schemata, a graphic novel that draws from his life’s experiences. When Fanboy meets Kyra ("Goth Girl" More...
Fanboy is a self-proclaimed geek who escapes the cruelties of the world by writing and illustrating Schemata, a graphic novel that draws from his life’s experiences. When Fanboy meets Kyra ("Goth Girl" More...
Jul 09, 2010
Sonja
rated it:
Let us take a moment to analyze the title of this work of fiction.
Titles are tricky beasts -- you have to be careful with them. Titles, much like first sentences and paragraphs, make promises to the readers. Now readers, as everyone should know, are demanding little three year olds who want those promises kept, gosh darnit. As a reader, I demand (petulantly) that those promises be kept.
Astonishing -- that's a big word with lots of baggage that promises to be absolutely a More...
Titles are tricky beasts -- you have to be careful with them. Titles, much like first sentences and paragraphs, make promises to the readers. Now readers, as everyone should know, are demanding little three year olds who want those promises kept, gosh darnit. As a reader, I demand (petulantly) that those promises be kept.
Astonishing -- that's a big word with lots of baggage that promises to be absolutely a More...
Apr 23, 2010
-k The Lady Critic
rated it:
I was a little worried that I wouldn’t like this book but something made me pick it up at the library anyways. I mean, it sounded intriguing with the title and the summary was just vague enough that I was still left wondering. I have to admit, though, that I did enjoy reading this. The take on life was one that completely lived in the grey areas and it was interesting to see how the characters changed and evolved within the eyes of Donnie (AKA Fanboy).
Actually, it’s rather interestin More...
Actually, it’s rather interestin More...
Apr 22, 2010
Bethany
rated it:
Donnie (A.K.A. Fanboy) has been bullied mercilessly throughout middle and high school. His only friend is Cal, who is also friends with the “jock jerks” and ignores Donnie when they are around. Donnie dreams of the day that he will leave high school and go on to college where he thinks life will be better. In order to achieve this, he uses his natural intelligence to do well in school, and he works obsessively on his graphic novel, which he hopes to show to his comic book idol Brian Michael B
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Apr 21, 2010
Laura
rated it:
I'd forgotten why I generally read young adult fantasy rather than young adult fiction -- most young adult fiction is horribly depressing, full of the questionable message that "Yeah, life's awful, and everything goes wrong, and there's not much hope it will get better, but wishful thinking about the future can't hurt."
This book isn't much different.
Part of it is my own fault for expecting more; the title suggested to me a sense of humor and, well, adventure. T More...
This book isn't much different.
Part of it is my own fault for expecting more; the title suggested to me a sense of humor and, well, adventure. T More...
Apr 03, 2010
Laurie
rated it:
I wanted to like this book much more than I did in the end. It sounded really promising: comic book nerd who draws/writes his own graphic novel? Great! Goth girl? Equally great! Amazing adventures? What could be better?
But the adventures aren’t very amazing. It’s a coming of age novel, not an adventure novel. It’s a *good* coming of age novel, mind you, but just not what it sounded like on the book jacket. Fanboy (we never learn his name) lives with his pregnant mother and his step- More...
But the adventures aren’t very amazing. It’s a coming of age novel, not an adventure novel. It’s a *good* coming of age novel, mind you, but just not what it sounded like on the book jacket. Fanboy (we never learn his name) lives with his pregnant mother and his step- More...
Dec 19, 2009
laaaaames
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Oct 02, 2009
Karin
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Barry Lyga explodes into the teen literature world with his unique debut novel. THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FANBOY AND GOTH GIRL is a novel about one young man’s journey through confidence development.
Fanboy, a sophomore in high school, floats through life hoping to remain invisible since he has, more than once, fallen victim to bullies. His life is a lonely life. His parents have been divorced for six years; his mother is remarried and
pregnant, visits with his father are be More...
Fanboy, a sophomore in high school, floats through life hoping to remain invisible since he has, more than once, fallen victim to bullies. His life is a lonely life. His parents have been divorced for six years; his mother is remarried and
pregnant, visits with his father are be More...
Jul 09, 2009
Mary
rated it:
Donnie - xianwalker76 - is a good student with a passion for graphic novels. He's small for his age (15) and defines himself as a "geek." He lives in the basement of his pregnant mother and step-fascist's house and he keeps a "List" of all the people who treat him badly and bully him. Kyra - Promethea387 - is a goth-dressing, mysterious, revellious, motherless girl who drives a different car every day (without a license), and who tried to commit suicide in the past. When they
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Jul 08, 2009
Nicole
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Fanboy (do we ever learn his real name?) is a 15 yr old sophomore nerd loser, who likes comics (big surprise, huh?) His one friend is Cal, a 'stealth geek' who is also an uber-popular jock and one of the only black kids at the school, so he doesn't have a lot of time for fanboy between lacrosse practice & being 'street' to impress the girls.
Fanboy has a secret- he's got an 'out' - his own top secret graphic novel that will land him a publishing contract and a ticket out of his deadend subu More...
Fanboy has a secret- he's got an 'out' - his own top secret graphic novel that will land him a publishing contract and a ticket out of his deadend subu More...
